Tense silences shouldn't be this noisy. Heavy machinery screamed about them as the icy stare continued to bore a hole through the middle of the air. He had seen her photo the first time fighting alongside Yusei and Jaden. There were a few more wisdom lines on her face and a couple inches more on her height but he had been under no illusions as to her identity as she led him to their ride. "Dr Mutou." Finally speaking for the first time since the empty greetings, she looked down at his luggage. "Is really that all you brought with you?" She indicated the single bag that was tucked beside him. A – to her – dated Duel Disk was strapped to one side where he could easily reach.
"I like to travel light where I can." Not that he had been planning on an extended vacation. An optimistic part of him had thought that maybe taking on the unbridled might of a sinister organisation capable of altering history however they saw fit shouldn't take more than a few weeks. Potentially spending months hiding out in the future to protect Jaden had not been on his itinerary.
"We can provide anything else you might need. Academy Island is designed to be self-sufficient if it needs to." After the entire academy had dropped into a different dimension, the vaunted levels of upper management had decided to take steps in case it happened again. The idea of removing the dangerous items they were already keeping on the island apparently never came up.
"I'm looking forward to seeing it. Jaden's told me... a lot about it." Once again, Jaden had a different understanding of what he considered 'good'. Keeping out the rats and roaches had been the better days of his student life. The loving tales that he had imparted had sounded like horror stories once they reached Yugi's ears. "I was just wondering how much longer it will be?" Lengthy air travel had not gone well for him in the past and he was looking forward to firm ground beneath his feet.
"We should be in view by now." Twisting around in her seat, she pointed to a blip on the horizon. "Give it a few more minutes and we'll be landing." While remaining quietly furious at Jaden over avoiding his responsibilities for another year, she was willing to grant him one final exception. Having one of the greatest Duellists of all time fill in for him went a long way towards a proper apology.
"Does everyone travel to Academy Island by helicopter?" KaibaCorp probably had more than enough money to make it possible by now. Seto certainly hadn't held back on his budgets for the institution, Yugi could already see the outline growing more detailed.
"Most people use one of the shuttle boats. We send out boats every fortnight for food and the like and get larger supply runs in about once a month for everything else." At least that meant he wouldn't have to worry about extra suspects constantly arriving. Once he arrived, the only people Yugi would have to focus on would be the people already on the island. "You okay?" Alexis noticed the slight tension across his shoulders.
"Fine." All he had to do was be himself and not let anyone catch on that he hadn't yet lived any events of the past few years. "I'm looking forward to this." Duel Academy was glowing in the evening sun as they began a steady pass around the island while final preparations were made for their landing. One of the people down there had been sent with the task of eliminating Jaden Yuki before he could make his part in the King of Games legacy too great to be forgotten. Yugi simply had to identify the one person who knew more about the future than they should from a group of the best-trained Duellists of their day without letting slip that he was onto them.
A tiny twitch at one corner of his mouth formed a smile as they finally settled onto the rooftop. This was going to be fun.
Once the helicopter had touched down, Alexis politely helped him clamber down from the cabin as she seamlessly transitioned from three feet in the air to the floor with practised ease. "Thanks for the lift." Waving to the pilot, she never had so much as a bump outside stormy weather and rarely suffered delays from Monroe. It was probably unrelated that Alexis was one of the few people who knew her name was Monroe and regularly interacted with her beyond the cockpit.
"Nice place!" Yugi also waved his thanks to the pilot as he had to shout over the still slowing rotors. Different forms of architecture merged seamlessly through sharp angles and shared material. Modern designs were perfectly aligned inches from crooked obelisks all over the island while the landscape was interwoven with lush greenery and speckled with various buildings. Standing atop the domed structure which would take days to fully explore unveiled it all perfectly before scheming eyes. This was going to be his battleground and it was already glorious in its own right.
"Down here!" Leading him down the stone steps, she opened the heavy metal door with a short code and instantly isolated the noise of the outside as it shut after them. "Sorry for the hurry, the blades give me a headache. It's this way." Thickly padded carpet engulfed their feet as the pair walked past floor-to-ceiling windows displaying the incredible view. "We're a little later than planned, which is probably a good thing. Chancellor Crowler has a meeting on the mainland this evening so, hopefully, he'll have time to cool down before you meet him."
"Dr Crowler. Skinny guy, bit unorthodox?" The actual description had been less flattering. "Likes pink ruffles?" Alexis delivered a chilly glare not meant for him.
"I see Jaden's told you about him." Turning down another corridor, her footsteps increased slightly. "They didn't always get along but Crowler's changed a lot since Jaden left. Not that he'd notice, since he hasn't even spoken with him since then." Another shift of direction took them deeper into the complex. "They got along towards the end and it's plain rude not to keep in contact but clearly that doesn't matter to Jaden as much as running across the world with his constant distractions do." She took a sharp left towards the south wing. "I swear, he's going to be lucky to teach here once I'm through with him. Crowler will be the least of his worries once I'm through with him!"
Realising that she hadn't heard a response in a while, she glanced to one side. Then back the way she had come. Several seconds later, Yugi emerged around the corner at a steady jog. "Sorry. Must've got distracted by the sights." It was a lie and they both knew it. Her significantly longer legs had left him trailing and he wasn't stupid enough to irk an already enraged foe.
"These are your rooms." Taking the apology at face value, she led him through the door. Inside was every bit as luxurious as the room Yusei was being shown, possibly even more so. What looked to be a large computer was simply the coffee machine, what he had thought was an artistically irregular wall panel was a television screen, the bedroom through the adjoining door was larger than some small houses and there were enough armchairs and coffee tables spread about the room that Yugi had originally mistaken it for a shared foyer for an entire wing. He was honestly expecting a heated swimming pool to be located in place of a bathtub if he were to check the bathroom.
"Wow." Carefully placing his bag in a chair that looked like it had come from a palace, he spent a full minute walking over to the far window where he could watch the sun setting over the edge of the world. "Incredible." From up here, it was possible to see gaps in the trees where trails lay hidden in the woods and see steam clouding the glass ceiling of the distant bathhouse. "How many Slifers are left?" There were usually about twenty or thirty at the start of a year.
"Eight, for now. Two are leaving on the next boat out." Eight students. Six, if he couldn't convince the others to remain. Yugi was liking his new job more and more.
"Where are they staying?" Judging from the grim silence, that was a question he hadn't been meant to ask.
"We thought that you'd be more comfortable in the main building." A handful of rooms were sporadically located around the academy to accommodate visiting VIPs. With the King of Games himself visiting, the most luxurious suite had been prepared and Alexis was genuinely surprised that Crowler hadn't been waiting with a creepy smile and bottle of champagne in hand. "All the facilities are open whenever you need them and the teaching areas are right downstairs." A tiny commute, world-class chefs and enough luxury to make millionaires envious. Chancellor Crowler had checked every detail to make the perfect setting for Jaden's summer replacement. He had only forgotten to account for one aspect of the situation.
"Looking forward to them." When he had been escorted to quarters in the main building, Yugi had foolishly thought that maybe the handful of Slifer Reds retaking classes over the break would have been similarly housed and the dorm simply left until the new intake. Picking up his bag, he threw it onto his back once more. "Can you tell me the way to the Slifer Dorm?" There was enough space in the suite to fit the entire dorm – literally and figuratively. He wasn't prepared to live in such luxury while the people he was supposedly leading went without.
"There's no way to change your mind, is there?" Enough creaks and groans sounded stepping across the floor to sate ten budget horror films. Armies of bugs swarmed through cracks and vanished behind light fittings. What hastily compiled wood generously called 'seats' invariably failed to conform to one another or any of the tables present. Multiple pieces of furniture had the unmistakable aura of garbage and frayed cables were visible from across the room. Anyone would have imagined that this building was recovering from a disaster until they recognised the grim reality that budgets are ultimately controlled by the people holding the money and Kaiba – for all the tentative comradeship they had built together – would not readily contribute to his rival's legacy. Funding was claimed by rank and precious little reached the lowest rungs.
And yet, it was also exactly where the greatest Duellist of her generation had felt most at home. "Come on," Doing her coat back up, she knew Crowler was going to blame her for the fact he would be unable to be on the doorstep of the King of Games within five minutes of getting his fluffy slippers on. "I'll show you the way."
One of the thousands of ways life was made miserable for the Slifer students was the uniforms. Per company regulations, Duel Academy had to buy a certain number of jackets across a variety of sizes to qualify for a discount. Blues and Yellows got most of the standard sizes while the contractually obligated outlying sizes were hoisted onto the low-ranking Reds. (That the uniforms were bought from a subsidiary of KaibaCorp established with the specific purpose of selling the outfits was a political coincidence.)
Waddling down the twilit hill were two people glad for the legal loophole. Although of typical height, the taller figure was slightly longer in the arms than average and needed the sleeve length. Hidden behind two stacked boxes was a more diminutive shape who was unused to anyone stocking clothing in his size. "What do you think Dr Rhodes was doing out this late?" Hashi – the smaller boy – was navigating by proximity to his partner. "It looked like she came from our dorm."
"Maybe she was just enjoying the view." On a good day, mainlanders with sufficient height and equipment could see the gleaming jewel of Academy Island with the Obelisk Blue dorms resplendently situated a short distance from the main building and a gleaming Ra Yellow barracks nestled a short distance away. An inconvenient hill sadly obscured the Slifer Red shack from anyone not already close enough to the island to swim the remaining distance.
"Yeah, they can't take that away from us." The same hill which hid the unfortunates also cut them off from everything except the soothing expanse of the ocean. "Looks like some else's already in the kitchen." A dim light shining through the doorway indicated that at least one of the lazier Slifers was impatiently waiting for the food delivery.
"Can you get the door?" Longer arms meant more boxes were stopping Suzuki from seeing the handle. Gripping the metal sliver between two fingers, his companion slowly inched open a narrow gap.
"Hey." Buried up to his stomach in dirty pipes and rusty tools, an unmistakable figure was crammed under the sink and gesticulating with an S-bend in one hand. "Could you"
Hashi instantly shut the door. With them still on the outside. "Suzuki." An obviously fractured reality prevented shock from entering his voice. "Yugi Muto's in there."
"Good one." Not that Hashi hadn't tried it several times before. "Tell me about the time you went flying with Seto Kaiba again." Setting down the food boxes for a moment, he opened the door again.
"Can you pass me that wrench?" Suzuki slammed the door hard enough that it swung back open. The lock had been broken for a long time and never fixed. "Either of you will do. Just kick it in my direction." When the King of Games asks for a wrench, the immediate reaction of most every Duellist is to present every wrench in a square mile for consideration. These two failed to move. "It's okay, I got it." Stretching as far as he could, one foot hooked the toolbox and dragged it towards the sink. Scattered tools piled up on the near side until he could reach the spanner without dropping the pipe he was holding in place.
"What're you doing here?" Being smaller in stature had seemingly allowed Hashi to endure the majestic aura without falling into a mindless husk-like his partner.
"Right now?" Clenching the handle of a screwdriver between his teeth, he tightened a nut as far as he could. "Fisin dh snk." Twisting an isolator valve let the water trickle down into a bucket braced between elbow and stomach. No additional moisture was dripping through the pipe for now and Yugi was satisfied his work would hold for a while longer. "Can you two put away the food? The refrigerator should be working now." A faulty fuse had been giving the working antique a wheezing stammer as it struggled to pass a charge. A working replacement had been procured at the expense of depowering a row of blown lightbulbs running above the cooking area in the kitchen.
"Food. Yeah. Sure." Clutching the bags like a drowning man clinging to the last stable part of reality, Suzuki edged across the stable parts of the floor. They were a deeply held secret of Slifer Reds, typically found through trial-and-error. "Hashi, what's going on?" His shorter friend usually had a cheerful innocence and could generate a stream of random reasons for any situation.
"Gotta be an impersonator." It was safe enough to speak in hushed whispers with the 'King of Games' moved to the next room with his section of pipe. "Crowler probably thought it could get the rest of us to pay attention if 'Yugi Mutou' showed up and gave a pep talk. Poor guy's probably a plumber in his spare time." It certainly made more sense than the most famous Duellist in the world fixing their sink without wearing anything to protect his shirt.
"Hey." Appearing around the corner fast enough to make Hashi fumble a box of eggs, said plumber was holding a grimy packet of cloths in his spare hand. "Were these being saved for something or can I clear this blockage with a couple?" Enough rice had built up in the S-bend to convert it into a mouldy water filter.
"All yours." Speaking to a passing plumber was easy and Suzuki watched him vanish back into the kitchen. "I hope they're paying him for the extra stuff. You gotta admit, he does look like the real deal."
"It's not bad but the real Yugi Mutou's a bit taller." One cupboard door had been locked a few years back and the key lost. The only way to use the space was to crane one hand around the corner and hope nothing smashed. "And the hair's a bit off. But he's definitely better than the time you dressed up as him for that costume party."
"Hey, you promised never to mention that!" Suzuki had been the most prominent point of mockery among Slifer Reds by all the other dorms. It was a badge of extreme embarrassment.
"Mention what?" Wiping off grime with a dirty towel was hardly a solution for a clean surface but he doubted anyone would be licking the S-bend after it was installed. "Sorry if I'm prying, I couldn't help but overhear on the way back."
"Suzuki dressed up at Yugi Mutou once." Recalling his promise a fraction too late, Hashi broke into a cheeky grin. "I mean, 'nothing'." Their guest watched with a befuddled expression the slower student get chewed out.
"Fair enough." Putting aside the incident for a moment, he slid back under the sink and began reattaching the pipe.
"I mean, your outfit isn't that bad but you've got the hair wrong." There was a slight pause inside the cupboard.
"I see." Echoed the amused tone. "Got any other tips for me?"
"Nah, only if you want to wear pumps." Taking advantage of his diminutive stature, Hashi squatted beside the cupboard door while Suzuki bent down from further back. "Whatcha doing in there? Is it nearly fixed?"
"Hopefully." Wiping off another batch of slime, he eased a trickle from the isolator. Perfect. Not even a drop was coming from the new connection. Wiping a bit of grime on his forearm, he shuffled back out from his tiny cave. "When are the others getting here? It'll be easier to talk to you all at once."
"Probably in a little while. Nobody likes collecting the food delivery so Suzuki and I usually get it." It was a universal rule of lazy students that any job left long enough will either be done by someone else or never actually needed doing. After months in the bottom sets, morale in the dorm was low enough that the remaining Slifers were essentially coasting out the rest of the year, food delivery included. Obelisk Blue and Ra Yellow were personally catered for, Slifer Reds got cheap meat and cheaper ramen sent down a couple of times a week.
"Do you guys want a hand cooking then?" Rising his arms under the restored taps, he used a hard bar of cheap soap to lather away the stains on his skin.
"Oh, that's okay." Suzuki kept glancing at his arms. Even though he had seen the soap in use, the more cringing parts of his mind didn't want those hands near his food. "We don't mind it. It isn't that much work. It's quite nice once you get used to it."
"Can you carry these next door?" Handing across a bag of vegetables, Hashi lead Suzuki into the dated kitchen. Repairs had been difficult without replacement parts and everything was nearly as shoddy as it had been before. At least there were no problems with the gas pipes. "How long you staying for?" Prepping a few shallots on a cutting board, Hashi generally left Suzuki to do the actual cooking. His height made it difficult to use the cookers safely.
"Not sure yet. I'm kinda filling in for a friend." A clean towel let him dry both hands as the younger men fell into an easy pattern born from necessary repetition.
"Huh. Do a lot of impersonators substitute for each other?" It didn't occur to him that the person being filled in for might not be a motivational speaker in a costume.
"I don't know. I'd have to ask one." A set of hooks had been hung on a wall to hold aprons for when the students cooked meals. Pulling his lengthy red coat down, Yugi Mutou slipped it on with dry humour. "So," He could feel the realisation setting in before him. "When do the rest of my students get here?" Like his successor, he realised the imperfect promise of this place now that he saw it for himself. As long as you were at the bottom, the only direction for Slifer Red students to move would be up.
Wears red, did plumbing... is Yugi secretly Mario?
I'll take my leave while you leave a review.